Gigantes Plaki
Giant white beans baked in a sweet tomato and herb sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tin Butter beans (garrofo)
- 1 Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 400 g Canned tomatoes
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 5 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Carrot (optional)
- 3 tbsp Parsley (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 190C (375F) and let it come up to temperature.
- Chop the onion, garlic, and carrot.
- Soften the onion, garlic, and carrot in the olive oil over medium heat until glossy, then stir in the tomatoes and oregano and simmer to meld, about 8 minutes.
- Stir the beans and salt into the sauce, then tip everything into a baking dish.
- Bake until bubbling and the top caramelises, about 25 minutes.
- Scatter the parsley over and serve warm or at room temperature.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Gigantes Plaki
Gigantes Plaki is a beloved Greek dish of giant white beans baked in a sweet tomato and herb sauce, a staple of the meze table and the Lenten kitchen alike. Plaki refers to the baked-in-sauce method, and the gigantes — big, creamy butter beans — are the star, simmered briefly in a base of onion, garlic, and carrot softened in olive oil with tomato and oregano, then finished in the oven. Like gemista, it belongs to the olive-oil-rich ladera family and is naturally vegan.
The beans turn soft and buttery, holding a sweet, savory tomato sauce that thickens and caramelizes at the edges of the dish during baking. Softening the aromatics and letting the tomato simmer to meld before the beans go in builds a rounder, sweeter sauce than a quick stovetop stew, and the oven does the final concentrating. A handful of parsley added at the end lifts the richness. Gigantes plaki is traditionally served warm or at room temperature — the point at which the olive oil and herbs come forward — as a hearty vegetarian main or as part of a larger spread, with feta and bread to round it out.
Gigantes Plaki: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Gigantes Plaki?
A serving has about 366 calories — 10.6g protein, 41.7g carbs, 18.2g fat, 10.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Gigantes Plaki gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Gigantes Plaki has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Gigantes Plaki take to make?
About 50 minutes start to finish, but only around 20 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Gigantes Plaki?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out carrot, parsley — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Gigantes Plaki make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.